I am looking for the best DIY/Barebones Laptop......

[sgtevmckay]

I am looking for the best DIY/Barebones Laptop kit(s).

I am looking for a Quad core (minimum) solution in AMD or Intel
Ability to run twin Monitors out is a plus.
Dual Hard Drive capacity is a bonus
Dual Optical Drive would also be a bonus
A 17in or more screen is required (High Res Prefered)

Cost is not an issue.
Part's size is not an issue (Laptop or full size parts are acceptable)
End product weight is not an issue.
Battery life is not a major issue.

I am looking for assistance to develop a list of what is currently available and places to buy. Since I apparently am incapable of finding resources beyond NewEgg or Tiger Direct (Occasionally).

So what is out there and what is available these days?

[JavaJones]

You can build your own laptop?  The closest thing I'm aware of are the generics, like Sager, etc. PowerNotebooks sells 'em: http://www.powernotebooks.com/

- Oshyan

[Carol Haynes]

If money is really no object I wouldn't bother with a barebones system - buy all the components and case to house them separately so that you get exactly what you want.

Barebones systems from ASUS often look like good value but they don't usually have top of the range components.

Having said that I am not sure I would buy into top of the range components again in the future. My last builds were top of the range - trouble is you pay a premium price but 6 months later it is run of the mill. Also I have had two expensive motherboards fail in my last 4 builds and the manufacturers don't honour their warranty (eg. ASUS give 3 years on mobos but they don't have stock 2 years on).

To my mind a sensible economic compromise needs to be made when specifying a system - there is no point in paying three times the price for components only to find a few months later the boxes you can buy in PCWorld are higher spec for $500.

[cranioscopical]

To my mind a sensible economic compromise needs to be made when specifying a system - there is no point in paying three times the price for components only to find a few months later the boxes you can buy in PCWorld are higher spec for $500.

Too true!
The top of the curve is a nice place to be, and affordable. The leading edge just isn't that exciting these days.

[superboyac]

You can build your own laptop?  The closest thing I'm aware of are the generics, like Sager, etc. PowerNotebooks sells 'em: http://www.powernotebooks.com/

- Oshyan

I second that notion.  I once considered building my own laptop and didn't find any aspect of it worth my time, money, or otherwise.  I would strongly recommend buying the best laptop for your needs that already exists.

[xtabber]

Cost is not an issue.

If it is someone else's money, AND you don't have a choice about what to use it for, I would go for a Lenovo ThinkPad W700 -- they start around $1500 but will probably run you around $3K to $5K with all the trimmings you seem to want. You can even get a version with dual screens built in (SW700Ds) if you want. 

I consider ThinkPads to be by far the best laptops made (Macbooks may be sexier, but not as well made) , but my personal preference is to buy used/refurbs that are a few years old (same for cars) because the difference in performance is not as important to me as the difference in price.  ThinkPads are supported pretty much forever, in my experience.

[4wd]

I second that notion.  I once considered building my own laptop and didn't find any aspect of it worth my time, money, or otherwise.  I would strongly recommend buying the best laptop for your needs that already exists.

And in that vein I'd love to know of a site where you could enter in what features you'd like in a laptop and have it spit out a range of makes/models, not being restricted to whatever the site's trying to flog.

[Carol Haynes]

I second that notion.  I once considered building my own laptop and didn't find any aspect of it worth my time, money, or otherwise.  I would strongly recommend buying the best laptop for your needs that already exists.

And in that vein I'd love to know of a site where you could enter in what features you'd like in a laptop and have it spit out a range of makes/models, not being restricted to whatever the site's trying to flog.

Try http://www.dabs.com/category/computers,laptops-and-pdas,laptops/11105 - you just click the bits you want to narrow down the selection.

My previous comments didn't take note of the word laptop in the original post. Personally I would avoid building laptops at any price - by all means add more memory or bigger hard disks but I would have thought the whole process of building something has the potential of producing a very expensive brick. Heat kills laptops at the best of times but amateur building is likely to just make things worth (no comment on your abilities).

For me desktop builds are good fun (though not espeially cost effective any more) but laptops .... nah life is too short.

In recent months I have fallen in love with the Sony VAIO range. Sony may be the spawn of the devil when it comes to DRM etc. but they sure can build laptops.

[4wd]

Try http://www.dabs.com/category/computers,laptops-and-pdas,laptops/11105 - you just click the bits you want to narrow down the selection.

Thanks Carol, misses out on some brands, (MSI, Benq, etc - for screen sizes I know they produce), but at least it's a start 

[sgtevmckay]

Have no concerns folks, as I have been build computers for a long time (from simple Desktops and laptops to Large Array N.A.S. and blade servers) even a few things that were state of the art 20 years ago (Solid State LOL)
I am comfortable with building systems.

I am opposed to further buying pre-made systems, just as in Desktops: they never meet my needs or expectations. Very few systems are built balanced. I am stuck with a Gamer or a worker and almost nothing in between. Very few systems come with a straight OS install, or are willing to give up the OS discs any more. Bloated proprietary software.
The list can go on and on.

Laptops are becoming more popular than desktops, or at least the sales numbers support this and laptop parts are becoming more affordable. Therefore worth my wild, and yes: to my customers as well.

I am appreciating all your folks assistance in all this.
I had honestly hoped for more sites that have DIY kits, because with a laptop - this is where it starts. There is no one case for all MoBo's in teh laptop world.

I have been building on OCZ DIY systems, and am very happy, but myself and my clientele are looking for more.

[JavaJones]

I'm pretty sure what you want doesn't exist in the laptop world, and somewhat with good reason, since for space and weight reasons components are produced somewhat custom, even for off-brand laptops. There are a few major manufacturers behind almost all of them, but that doesn't mean the specific assemblages aren't customized for the particular application. If they weren't I daresay laptops would be a lot heavier and bulkier as a result. You just can't have flexibility and modularity without bulk, if not weight.

Example: most graphics systems are integrated into the motherboard in laptops, which saves space and weight. But if you want to be able to switch them out, you need a slot and a separate card, meaning more bulk, and probably more weight.

Quite honestly I think www.powernotebooks.com is going to give you the most flexible options.

- Oshyan